When a cuddly baby raccoon snuggles his way into the life of a lonely boy named Sterling North (Billy Mumy), things go riotously awry as the ringtail's mischievous nature gets more and more out of control. Everyone in the small town gets to know Rascal, whether they want to or not - the bandit-masked mammal is especially fond of the eggs in the neighbor's chicken coops. Eventually, it's decided that Rascal will have to be returned to the wild. But Rascal doesn't want to go!

Based upon the memoir by Sterling North, the movie suffers from sluggish editing... but that little raccoon is just too cute!

Staci Layne Wilson
Author of Staci's Guide to Animal Movies

If you are a Procyon Lotor lover, this film is for you. If you're looking for a classic, lively Walt Disney animal film--this one isn't it. The film follows Sterling North's book, and does it well. Yes, it seems to drag at times, and therefore does not "meet" the high action/drama expectations of today's viewers. But this film was made before the days of high-tech computer animations, and the coons used in it--are real--and therefore a true representation of this wonderful, mischievious critter. This whole film deals with a raccoon. It is not just a brief "tease" scene in a film for us raccoon lovers.

Disney did a good job of incorporating Sterling North's story of "Rascal" into a film. The film version remains close to the book's story. While Rascal is mainly a children's film, it also good for viewers who love animals. The raccoon does a lot of cute things the film has a relatively happy ending.

...I thought it was going to be another film like "the Incredible Journey" or even like "air bud". My son loves both these pet films and I thought this one would be cute like those. But, I actually found it to be alittle long and 'draggy'. I didn't really feel like it ever enticed even my attention. I just couldn't develop the love for the animals and characters in this one, like i did in "the Incredible Journey" and "Air Bud". Anyway, For [the money], I really can't complain. Maybe we'll give the movie another try in 6 months. I'll keep it in the video cabinet for now.

I love old Dinsey films, and this is very nostalgic. But let me warn you, it is long. Or maybe just slow... It is a neat time period, and the cars, clothes and homes are very preiod oriented. But I agree that people expect to see more fun and action with the raccoon. My son was bored too.
It is a shame that Disney did not release this in widescreen or take the time to add any extras such as theatrical trailers, or footage from their many shows that included animals. Disney made the best aniaml movies of all time, and they made the most. But this is not up there unfortunately. The book that the story is drawn from is much better. If you want great animal stories for your kids try other Disney fare such as "Nikki the Wild Dog of the North", "Lobo", "Sammy the Way Out Seal", "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar", "The Ugly Dachsund", "That Darn Cat", and many more. Some of these are released under the name Anchor Bay instead of Disney, but they are originally Disney in the theatre.